Professor Brent S. Murray

Profile

Brent Murray is Professor of Food Colloids in the Department, appointed as lecturer in January 1995. Prior to this he spent 3 years in ICI's corporate colloid research group (UK) and 3 years in the Department of Physical Chemistry Colloid Group at the University of Melbourne.

Responsibilities

• Head of Food Colloids & Bioprocessing Research Group
• Deputy Director of Soft Matter and Functional Interfaces CDT

Research interests

Brent's principal research interests are as follows:

• Particle-stabilized foams and emulsions
• Protein and polysaccharide microgel particles
• Biopolymer complex formation as a route to novel encapsulation, emulsification and controlled delivery of functional food ingredients
• Measurements of interfacial rheology and interfacial phase behaviour of adsorbed biopolymer/biosurfactant films in relation to emulsion and foam formation and stability, including use of Brewster angle microscopy
• Development of methods for measuring the adsorption/desorption and conformation of biopolymers/biosurfactants at oil-water and air-water interfaces, such as Langmuir trough methods
• Applications of confocal microscopy, bulk rheology and particle tracking techniques to understand the relationship between colloidal microstructure and bulk texture
• Measurement of colloidal interaction forces between particles, e.g., emulsion droplets, via atomic force microscopy (AFM) and particle collision techniques, to enable predictions of emulsion rheology and stability, etc
• Non-food uses of food materials in colloid and surface science technology

The laboratory is equipped for this work with various specialist pieces of equipment including: interfacial rheometers, surface tension apparatus, Langmuir troughs, Brewster angle microscope, atomic force microscope (AFM), confocal laser scanning microscope, controlled stress rheometers, specialized bubble-forming rigs and pressure drop apparatus for foam stability measurements, excellent computing facilities.

This work has been sponsored by UK research councils, EU funding and in collaboration with a number of large national and international food companies. Post-doctoral fellows are very welcome to discuss related projects, funded for example via , UK Research Councils (BBSRC and EPSRC) the European Union (e.g., EU Marie Curie schemes) or the Royal Society, etc.

Qualifications

• PhD
• MRSC
• BSc

Professional memberships

• Royal Society of Chemistry

Student education

Past and present teaching responsibilities

• Module Leader of Food Colloids modules.

Research groups and institutes

• Food Colloids and Processing
• Food Colloids and Soft Matter at Interfaces
• Digestion and Delivery
• Novel Food Design and Processing
• Theoretical Modelling and Simulation
• Functional Biopolymers for Food and Health

Current postgraduate researchers

• Kate Lefroy
• Yoni Atma
• Mr. Nisufyan Nimaming